The five winners of the Makeover Miracles stand on stage at the Outlets of Des Moines featuring special guest Carson Kressley on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Altoona.(Photo: Brian Powers/The Register)Buy Photo

Angel McDonald waited nervously for her big reveal at Saturday’s makeover event marking the opening of the new Outlets of Des Moines in Altoona.

Her 11-month-old daughter Dori, who was diagnosed with leukemia this spring, sat on a blanket waiting for her mom’s big moment in a fashion show. And while Angel adjusted her new look, Dori was transfixed on her mom’s sparkling new shoes that finished off the makeover.

“I used to have long hair,” said McDonald, whose locks were trimmed and darkened a bit. “But I feel great.”

McDonald and four other people were selected to receive a makeover as part of Outlets of Des Moines’ premiere weekend. All of the winners have faced some adversity or put others before themselves.

Television personality Carson Kressley emceed the fashion show revealing the new looks.

McDonald lost her job and home to stay with her daughter for months at a Ronald McDonald house in Minnesota while Dori received a bone marrow transplant. She is back in Des Moines trying to restart her life.

“Anybody feels good with new clothes on,” McDonald said. “And anything to get ready quicker is always better for (Dori).”

Dori joined her mother on stage in a makeover of her own, which included a pink skirt and a fluffy vest with silver angel’s wings.

Saturday's other makeovers:

Lorrie Smith, who works as a digital repository assistant at Iowa State University Parks Library, lost 100 pounds and used to dress mainly in T-shirts and jeans. She overcame health and financial issues in recent years and chooses her husband’s oversized T-shirts and pants as her outfits.

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Lorrie Smith, 51 from Ames, has her wardrobe looked over before walking out on stage during the Makeover Miracles event at the Outlets of Des Moines featuring special guest Carson Kressley on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Altoona.(Photo: Brian Powers/The Register)

“Lorrie is always the first person to offer a helping hand,” Hope Mitchell Craft, Smith's boss, said in nominating Smith.

Her makeover included a new hairdo, a skirt and jacket, high heels, makeup and a purse. “I feel like a million bucks,” she said.

Angela Graeve’s makeover brought the mother of 2½-year-old twin boys out of scrubs and into a fashionable ensemble. Graeve, a nurse at Mercy Medical Center and a clinical nursing instructor at Mercy College of Health Sciences, has a defective heart valve that will eventually be replaced. Sons Owen and Andrew have also dealt with health issues since birth.

Her busy life means “I put myself on the back burner,” she said.

Her makeover, which included a new hairdo complete with bangs, jeans decorated with faux pearls and a fuzzy pink clutch, was exciting for the young mom. The false eyelashes she was wearing at the reveal “were not hard to put on at all,” Graeve told Kressley.

Brian Wohlgemuth, an engineer from Kellogg, was diagnosed with a form of autism called Asperger’s Syndrome when he was 38. He and his wife went through seven miscarriages before their daughter was born 18 months ago.

His wardrobe largely consists of baggy clothes — his choice when trying to find something that fits his long legs and arms.

His makeover included skinny jeans and a leather jean-cut jacket, which he proudly modeled on stage.

Valerie Gregori of Roland has been struggling with a weight gain, which was the result of having her thyroid and many lymph nodes removed because of cancer. “I needed a change,” she said. “I don’t often get girl-pampered.

Angel McDonald, 34 from Des Moines has her makeup finished before walking out on stage during the Makeover Miracles event at the Outlets of Des Moines featuring special guest Carson Kressley on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Altoona.
Brian Powers/The Register

Lorrie Smith, 51 from Ames, has her hair finished before walking out on stage during the Makeover Miracles event at the Outlets of Des Moines featuring special guest Carson Kressley on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Altoona.
Brian Powers/The Register

Lorrie Smith, 51 from Ames, puts on her shoes before walking out on stage during the Makeover Miracles event at the Outlets of Des Moines featuring special guest Carson Kressley on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Altoona.
Brian Powers/The Register

Lorrie Smith, 51 from Ames, walks past a sign advertising the Makeover Miracles event she is a part of at the Outlets of Des Moines featuring special guest Carson Kressley on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Altoona.
Brian Powers/The Register

Lorrie Smith, 51 from Ames, has her wardrobe looked over before walking out on stage during the Makeover Miracles event at the Outlets of Des Moines featuring special guest Carson Kressley on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017, in Altoona.
Brian Powers/The Register